Dr Jana Jones

Research Fellow

Profile

Jana Jones is a Macquarie University Research Fellow (2014 to 2017) in the Department of Ancient History. Her current research project is entitled 'Secrets of the Ancient Egyptian embalmers: an archaeological, historical and scientific investigation of the origins and development of mummification'.

Since 2000 Dr Jones has worked on international excavations in Egypt as a contracted textile specialist for the Australian Centre for Egyptology (ACE) (Helwan), the German Archaeological Institute Cairo (DAIK) (Abydos and Elephantine), the British Museum Hierakonpolis Expedition (Hierakonpolis), the French Institute for Oriental Archaeology (IFAO) (Adaïma) and the North Kharga Oasis Survey. In 2012 she was appointed Director of the ACE Helwan project for that season.

Among the techniques she uses in the field is microscopic analysis to determine technological changes in textile production. While conducting these analyses, she discovered that, contrary to current beliefs, embalming substances had been used in burials as early as the Late Neolithic period (c. 4100 BC). Biochemical investigation of these substances with archaeological chemist Dr Stephen Buckley (University of York, UK) identified mixtures of anti-bacterial agents, including resins.

She has 'excavated' ancient Egyptian textiles and studied mummies and funerary artefacts in international museums: the Egyptian Museum and the Dokki Agricultural Museum in Cairo; the Bolton and Petrie Museums in the United Kingdom; Musée du Louvre in Paris, the Macquarie University Museum of Ancient Cultures and the Nicholson Museum at University of Sydney.

Since 2007 Dr Jones has held casual teaching appointments in the Department of Ancient History, Macquarie University and has convened units in Egyptian archaeology in which she lectured, tutored and marked (AHIS170 and AHIS280/AHPG860).

Publication of the interdisciplinary, international humanities and sciences collaboration in August 2014 on the breakthrough discovery that the practice of mummification may have begun some 1500 years earlier than previously thought (J. Jones et al., 'Evidence for Prehistoric Origins of Egyptian Mummification in Late Neolithic Burials', published online 14 August 2014 in PLOS ONE), generated significant worldwide media coverage.
On August 14 and 15 2014, Dr Jones gave nine ABC radio interviews and appeared on ABC News 24. She also gave email interviews to Reuters Washington, El Mundo, Die Welt, Der Spiegel, Focus Science Magazine (Poland), El Pais (Cairo), ABC News in Science, Archaeology World and Science Recorder, where an 'exclusive' interview is available behind a paywall.

Dr Jones gave radio interviews on her early findings challenging theories on how mummification began: Rachael Cohen's 'The Arc', ABC Radio National 576 AM, 20 March 2005 http://www.abc.net.au/radionational/programs/ark/the-body-beautiful-in-ancient-egypt/3442304; ABC 666 Canberra, 15 August 2001; Sally Loane Morning Show, ABC Radio National 702 14 August 2001 and ABC 1223 Newcastle, 14 August 2001. In 2005 she was invited to take part in a Discovery Channel International documentary, 'Ancient Clues: Abydos'in which her ground-breaking scientific investigation of wrappings from the tombs of the first kings of Egypt (First Dynasty, c. 3000BC) was featured prominently.

In Australia, coverage of the breakthrough discovery on early mummification appeared in the Sydney Morning Herald and Launceston Examiner (also syndicated across Fairfax online), Herald Sun and Courier Mail (and syndicated across NewsCorp online).

Internationally, the story was picked up by hundreds of outlets including The Guardian, Nature News, Discovery News, I F****** Love Science, Smithsonian Magazine, New Scientist, Live Science, NBC News, Reuters, Haaretz, The Telegraph, and many more, with much engagement and commentary on social media such as a Facebook post from Archaeology News. The research has been voted among the top breakthrough discoveries of 2014 by Discover and Archaeology (USA) magazines.

Jones, J., 'Pre- and Early Dynastic Textiles. Technology, specialisation and administration during the process of State formation', in: B. Midant-Reynes and Y. Tristant, (eds) with the collaboration of Joanne Rowland & Stan Hendrickx. Egypt at its Origins 2. Proceedings of the International Conference "Origin of the State. Predynastic and Early Dynastic Egypt", Toulouse, 5thto 8th September 2005. (Peeters: Leuven, 2008) 99-132. ISBN 978-90-429-1994-5

Jones, J.,Review: A History of Ancient Egypt: From the First Farmers to the Great Pyramid (Allen Lane, 2012) by J. Romer, Journal of the American Association of Oriental Studies (JAOS) 134 757-759. ISSN 0073-5892.

Jones, J.,'Textiles of 3rd, 2nd and 1st Millennia BC', in: Raue, D. et al., Report on the 35th season of German excavations and restoration on the island of Elephantine.Annales du Service des Antiquités de l'Égypte, Vol. 82 (The Supreme Council of Antiquities: Cairo, 2008), 218-221.

'The 'linen list' in Early Dynastic and Old Kingdom Egypt: text and textile reconciled'. International Exploratory Seminar, Textile Terminology in the 3rd and 2nd Millennia BC, 5-8 March 2009. Centre for Textile Research, University of Copenhagen, Denmark.

'The Early Dynastic Memphite 'linen lists': text and textile reconciled'. Memphis in the First Two Millennia, 14-15 August 2008. Macquarie University, Sydney.

'Pre- and Early Dynastic textiles: technology, specialisation and administration during the process of state formation'. Origin of the State. Predynastic and Early Dynastic Egypt", 5-8 September 2005. Toulouse, France.

'Identification of archaeological fibres'. 14-18 September 2005. University of Copenhagen, Denmark, invited speaker at the official opening of the Centre for Textile Research (CTR).

'Towards mummification: new evidence for early developments in ancient Egypt'. 5th World Congress on Mummy Studies, 2-5 September 2004. Turin, Italy.

'New perspectives on the development of mummification and funerary practices during the Pre- and Early Dynastic period'. 9th International Congress of Egyptologists, 6-12 September 2004. Grenoble, France.

'Application of microscopy to archaeological textiles. New insights into the development of mummification in ancient Egypt'. Ancient Textiles Conference, 19-23 March 2003. Lund, Sweden, and Copenhagen, Denmark.

'Bound for eternity'. The Australian Museum, Sydney, 3 March 2005. One of a series of public lectures to coincide with the exhibition 'Life Beyond the Tomb: Death in Ancient Egypt', 11 December 2004 to 22 May 2005.